TECHNOLOGY
New Gas Treating Process Shows Up Fluor reveals physical absorption process and solvent systems to remove C02 from natural gas Propylene carbonate and three acetates are among the solvents which Fluor uses in its new natural gastreating process. These and other details of the Fluor Solvent C 0 2 Removal Process came to light at the 39th annual meeting of the Natural Gasoline Association of America in Houston, Tex. Process development engineer Paul A. Buckingham told NGAA that the process relies on physical absorption, rather than chemical reaction, to strip out C 0 2 . It can operate at subambient temperatures, taking advantage of "free refrigeration" available as COL> expands from relatively high absorption pressures (about 800 p.s.i.g.) to atmospheric. Another economic selling point: The process needs little, if any, auxiliary power in some cases because desorbed C 0 2 and high pressure solution pass through power recovery turbines which, in turn provide power for pumps. Fluor has applied for patents on many features of its new process. And recently, three patents have been issued covering the solvents propylene carbonate, glycerol triacetate, butoxy diethylene glycol acetate, and methoxy triethylene glycol acetate (U.S. Patents 2,926,751, 2,926,752, and 2,926,753). Going Commercial. In field pilot plant tests, the Fluor process trimmed CO.) content of West Texas natural gas from 53r/
